QinetiQ North America announced today that its subsidiary Planning Systems Incorporated (PSI) has been awarded a $15.4 million contract by the Naval Research Laboratory, for research in the areas of ocean dynamics and prediction oceanography.

This research will benefit the Navy’s capabilities for real-time ocean monitoring, forecasting and support NRL’s Oceanography Division’s mission of planning and executing a broad-spectrum research, development, test and evaluation programme in biological, chemical, dynamical, and physical processes of the open ocean, coastal and littoral areas, and marine boundary layers.

Building on PSI’s history of providing the Navy with oceanographic modelling this effort will enhance existing products and models and develop new ones to extend the Navy’s understanding of the ocean environment that can be transitioned to operational use.

“This award continues the strong partnership between NRL and PSI in developing tools and techniques to better understand and exploit environmental effects on Navy sensors and weapons systems, and ultimately to provide a knowledge edge to the Warfighter.” stated Paul Banas, Vice President of the Technology Services Sector of PSI. “We look forward to the opportunity to expand this relationship over the next five years.”

The work will be performed at PSI’s facilities at the Stennis Space Center, MS.